Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

A Birthday, the Olive Garden, and Restaurant Week in Capitol Hill

Today is my birthday. I don’t mention it so that you all wish me a virtual happy birthday but rather contrast my ninth birthday with my twenty-ninth. See, when I was 9 years-old, my favorite dish was something my mother called chicken and noodles. I asked for it on every birthday. I loved it. I could not get enough of it. Want to know what it is? It is spaghetti tossed with a can of cream of chicken soup. My mother would serve it with canned corn.

When I moved to Seattle for graduate school in 2004, I was a culinary neophyte. I had never had sushi, Indian, Thai, or Korean — and I’m Korean! I wouldn’t have been able to tell you the difference between a braise and a roast. Sage, rosemary, and thyme were song lyrics. I never had falafel or hummus. And my wine knowledge was limited to red or white. I had to Google what ‘blanching’ was when I read it in a recipe. Growing up in the Tri-Cities, a fancy meal for me and my family was at the new Outback Steakhouse or at the Olive Garden, an hour away, in Yakima.

But in graduate school, I started to run in circles with people who were both much older than me (I was the second youngest person in my program) and had come from every corner in the U.S. With guidance from my new, cultured friends, I first discovered Seattle’s culinary scene. Then I began to soak up every cooking technique I could. Before I knew it, I was the one making the rib roast at Christmas. The strange thing about cooking is that when you understand the complexities, diversity, and challenges of it, it makes you deeply appreciate the talented chefs that prepare your dinner at a restaurant.

That is why I am excited.

Restaurant Week is here in Seattle! It runs from April 10-14 and April 17-21. There are 150 restaurants offering three courses for $28, but I thought I would highlight some Capitol Hill stars. Note, many of these places designed special plates for Restaurant Week and they are not on their regular menu, consider trying these options.

Quinn’s – It is well documented here and here my love for Quinn’s. Knowing how delicious their pork belly and burger have been in the past, I would definitely trust them with these two new options the Duck Terrine and the Crispy Skin Chicken. Mmmm, duck and chicken!

Plum Bistro – I am not a vegetarian but I may have dated one or two in the past and Plum Bistro is my go to place for a date who is vegan or vegetarian. During Restaurant Week, they are serving their popular Quinoa Burger but I would try their Beet Salad. A great beet salad will always make you forget that your date is a vegetarian.

Monsoon – At Monsoon they’re offering 9 different appetizers, 15 entrées, and 4 desserts – I started to calculate the total number of combinations, then I realized that I wasn’t really paying attention when they taught me that in school. Their Drunken Chicken made them famous but the Idaho Catfish Claypot calls out to me like a siren. Your hardest decision will be deciding what to order.

Odd Fellow’s Café & Bar – One of my favorites in Capitol Hill. Most of the dishes for Restaurant Week come from their standard menu but the Grass Fed Ribeye and the Bouilliabaisse sound like winning options. Heck, maybe try them both.

Whether you’re a culinary neophyte like I was in the fall of 2004 or a seasoned restaurant professional, you’ll find some great meals during Restaurant Week in Capitol Hill. And tonight for my birthday maybe I will ask my family to take me out to someplace fancy… perhaps the Olive Garden?

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.